One-on-One with Angelo Sosa

After school, most eight-year-olds rush through the front door, running to catch sunlight in the backyard, the liberation of playtime. Not so for former Top Chef competitor Angelo Sosa. When he came home from school, the kitchen was calling his name, especially when Titi Carmen was cooking.

"I would pull up a stool and watch her cook for hours. She would make this amazing bacalao with capers, green olives and vinegar,” Sosa says. “To this day, I have that flavor memory in my head. Her cooking is the reason I became a chef."

Sosa was born in Connecticut to a Dominican father and an Italian mother who believed meals were serious affairs. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an alum of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's kitchens, Sosa went on to chef-own two New York City restaurants, Social Eatz, an Asian gastropub, and Añejo Tequileria, a small plates restaurant inspired by Mexican cuisine.

The inspiration behind his two New York spots comes from his travels, especially through Asia, where Sosa connected with the culture and history. Now, he fuses Asian flavors into Latin dishes, and turned it into a success. His "Bibimbap Burger" at Social Eatz has won the “Greatest Burger in America" award several times and fans crowd into Añejo on a nightly basis for a taste of innovative dishes like Sweet Banana and Bay Scallop Ceviche, a recipe he has shared with TLK.

"I think my food philosophy or how I look at food is tied to culture,” Sosa says. “I travel extensively and it’s important that if I am cooking anything, whether it be Dominican, Mexican or Asian, I should to go these countries and understand the culture and make sure the cuisine is being respected."

To do that, Sosa often begins at the end.

"When I am creating a new recipe, I work backwards,” Sosa says. “I have an end result in my head and I work backwards to achieve it, I pull the main ingredients and then add things from all over the world, from other cultures. If I’m making a Veracruz style ceviche, I would use yuzu juice from Japan instead of lime juice. The yuzu achieves the same goal, but it is transporting and I often think of what other cultures I can bring in to create that journey."

Sosa dives more into this concept and into his love of innovative and full-bodied flavor combinations in his cookbook, Flavor Exposed: 100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy.

"There are literally millions of ingredients in the world,” Sosa says. “I try to focus on how to make something more exciting to eat while still highlighting the importance of seasonality and tradition."

How does he do that? By treating recipes as guidelines not rules.

"You have to fancy your own taste, cook what you feel passionate about. I like to add my own flare and tell a story of the past but then make it relevant to the present day and to the future," says Sosa.

Fusion, he stresses, is all about changing things up. Maybe add some prosciutto or speck to your rice and beans instead of bacon if you are nostalgic about a trip to Italy. Or spike your whipped cream with curry powder for an innovative way to dress a simple tomato soup.

Flavor Exposed reveals the roots of what Sosa – and his food – are all about.

 "I break down flavors by category – sweet, salty, smoky. And every recipe gives people a glimpse of my history and personal journey."

And alongside those recipes are stories about Sosa's life and the people who influenced him. Like his Aunt Carmen, the focus of the sweets section.

“She poured everything she had into her dishes. That's what I am doing every day.”

In memory of Aunt Carmen, Sosa shared her most famous recipe with TLK. 

Flaked Cod Fish (Bacalao)